Domestic violence survivors, among others, say the process at DHS’s Virginia Williams Family Resource Center “feels like it’s designed to break you down when you are at your lowest point.”
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Domestic violence survivors, among others, say the process at DHS’s Virginia Williams Family Resource Center “feels like it’s designed to break you down when you are at your lowest point.”
A version of this story was initially published in Street Sense Media.
Tamika Kennedy and her three children were denied housing from Virginia Williams Family Resource Center three times before she sought legal assistance. Each time she walked out feeling worse.
“The first time I was upset. Then the second time, devastated. The third time I was just heartbroken,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy is a single mother who had never navigated shelter services before. After her grandmother died in January, she lost her housing and reached out to Virginia Williams, the central intake office for families seeking aid from the D.C. Department of Human Services (DHS), including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and domestic violence.
On her fourth attempt, Kennedy was connected to the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP), which helps people stay in their homes or find temporary places to stay, such as with family, but does not provide shelter. Kennedy said she “still needed an immediate safe place” for her family. It was not until the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless advocated on Kennedy’s behalf that she entered emergency shelter.
Kennedy’s experience isn’t unique. In fiscal year 2026, 47% of those who applied for shelter at Virginia Williams — 1,372 families — were deemed ineligible for homeless services, according to DHS data. While many were connected to HPP, like Kennedy, just under a quarter received shelter. And even people who received shelter confronted staff behavior that they felt was “cold, dismissive, non-empathetic, and judgmental,” according to Theresa Puhr, policy and systems engagement coordinator at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCCADV).
“The process most times feels like it’s designed to break you down when you are at your lowest point,” said Monique Jackson, who has sought refuge at Virginia Williams twice.
On Oct. 8, the D.C. Council hosted a public oversight roundtable where dozens of people raised concerns that Virginia Williams is blocking services for families in crisis. This includes concerns of excessive or improper documentation requirements. Advocates also said that staff conduct retraumatizes people seeking shelter.
“DHS must commit to not only comprehensive training of their staff, but to also overhaul its policy and organizational culture to prioritize survivor-centered and trauma-informed practices, which in turn improves services for everyone in need,” said Dawn Dalton, executive director for DCCADV.
In order to receive services from Virginia Williams, families must meet three core documentation and eligibility requirements, according to testimony at the roundtable from DHS Director Rachel Pierre. They must be District residents, meet the statutory definition of a family (have minor children or be a pregnant person in their third trimester), and be homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. Case workers use formal and informal documentation — from government identification to statements — to confirm eligibility, according to DHS responses to pre-hearing questions.
Of those denied shelter over the past year, a fifth could not prove D.C. residency, and a tenth could not confirm family status, according to DHS data. The most common reason was not being at immediate risk of homelessness, which accounted for 67% of denials. Several witnesses said families were steered to stay with friends or relatives instead of entering shelter. According to DHS responses, 88% of families were referred to HPP, which the agency said was not a denial of shelter.
At the roundtable, families said they were rejected from shelter for many reasons. Kennedy said staff initially denied her services because she was not a tenant on her grandmother’s lease. Others were told they were ineligible due to language barriers, temporarily staying with friends and family, lacking documentation of familial relationship between parent and child, not producing individual or friends’ leases or the contact information of friends and family, and more. Some claimed they were turned away for a different reason each time they met with a new caseworker.
Pierre said DHS relies on staff training and established procedures to ensure consistent eligibility determinations. But experts like LaJuan Brooks, the director of community engagement at Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, claim the process is inconsistent with city policies, such as the Homeless Services Reform Act. HSRA protects applicants from being deemed ineligible solely because a family cannot produce proof of D.C. residency or homelessness. An applicant is ineligible only with “clear and convincing evidence.”
“Based on the conversations I and my team have had with families attempting to access shelter, a large majority of them are being asked to provide documentation that they are unable to access, or being tasked with providing information that should not factor into their need for a safe place to sleep,” Brooks said.
In pre-hearing testimony, DHS said it operates in accordance with HRSA, which sets out clear criteria for qualifying for homeless services, “while maintaining equitable access for families in crisis.” During the hearing, Pierre said some of the examples where families were denied services were not in line with DHS policy.
Reached for comment after the hearing, a DHS spokesperson said the agency is reviewing its practices and the specific complaints witnesses raised to identify any gaps in the eligibility standards and “determine whether updates or enhancements to staff training are needed.”
“Our goal is to strengthen service delivery, improve the client experience, and proactively resolve any systemic challenges by grounding our improvements in real-world examples and frontline feedback,” the spokesperson wrote.
Domestic violence remains a leading cause of homelessness in families. Yet only 4% of Virginia Williams’s assessments led to victim services, known as DASH, in fiscal year 2026.
Survivors can face additional challenges when seeking services. They often flee without documents like birth certificates or lease agreements. While D.C. city code allows survivors to self-certify residency without documentation, permitting them to access DHS services, individuals at the roundtable said the Virginia Williams process can exclude survivors.
According to Pierre, when someone mentions they are experiencing domestic violence, staff immediately stop the assessment and refer them to a domestic-violence-specific program.
Advocates also brought up concerns around staff training at Virginia Williams. Working with domestic violence survivors can be especially challenging because survivors may not share their stories due to trauma and stigma around terminology.
“The way that you ask [what happened] is really important,” said Micaela Deming, the policy director for DCCADV, explaining that even the words “domestic violence” can be off-putting to survivors who don’t necessarily connect their experiences to that term.
Up-to-date and thoughtful training protocols are essential, advocates said. But many survivors also spoke about treatment from Virginia Williams staff, saying they felt case workers were impatient or insensitive with their questions.
According to the DHS spokesperson, Virginia Williams staff receive monthly training on identifying and working with survivors, including recognizing signs of trauma. The agency plans to review the current curriculum in light of the feedback, the spokesperson wrote.
This is not the first time the center’s policies have come under the spotlight. In 2019, an oversight hearing surfaced similar complaints wherein women seeking emergency housing said they were disrespected and repeatedly turned away.
Jackson, who is from D.C., first visited the center in 2017 when she was seven months pregnant, and returned again this year. The first time, staff initially said they couldn’t help her because she had recently stayed with family in another state and didn’t have proof of residency, but she refused to leave until she got services.
“The mission of Virginia Williams is well-intentioned,” said Jackson. “However, the eligibility process can be as retraumatizing as the circumstances that bring clients to the service center.”
In 2022, the Domestic Violence Action Research Collective released a study outlining recommendations for reforms, including updates to the intake process for survivors of domestic violence, data privacy protections, and trauma-informed training. However, no significant updates have been made since the recommendations were released, according to testimonies from the roundtable, though Pierre said new regulations for HPP will be proposed in the next year.
In order to improve Virginia Williams, advocates and experts suggested several structural changes, including some similar to those in the 2022 report.
For instance, District policy says families must receive reasons for shelter denial. Those who testified said families sometimes get denial notifications, and sometimes don’t. Several testimonies called for same-day notices stating the reason for denial and how to appeal, including referral or interim shelter options.
After the roundtable, DHS began reviewing the concerns, according to a spokesperson, and will reexamine policies. Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin, who chaired the hearing, and Pierre also discussed a public-facing tool for accountability, similar to the agency’s voucher dashboard.
“These women should not have to wait until they are standing at the door of homelessness with their children before we decide they qualify for help,” said Jasmine Ferguson, victim services program manager at Community Family Life Services. “I am not here asking for more housing. I’m asking us to look at the entire process for seeking housing assistance.”
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